32 Political Studies

Theory

Introduction to Political Science

Introduction to Political Science provides a strong foundation in global political systems, exploring how and why political realities unfold. Rich with examples of individual and national social action, this text emphasizes students’ role in the political sphere and equips them to be active and informed participants in civil society.

Nationalism, Self-determination and Secession

This text on nationalism covers salient issues in the nation-building using themes of nationalism, self-determination, and secession to tie nation-building in with world politics. It covers introductory concepts in politics, from statehood to national self-determination.

Includes: Learning outcomes, summaries

Popular Culture and World Politics: Theories, Methods, Pedagogies

This edited collection covers salient issues in popular culture and world politics. It covers concepts in popular culture, from comics to video games.

Realism in Practice

This politics text covers issues in realism using a practical approach. It covers concepts in realism, from the refugee crisis to peaceful change.

Conflict, War and Revolution: The problem of politics in international political thought

This book is primarily intended for second year and upwards undergraduate students in general political theory and international theory, and advanced international relations students. Each chapter is also downloadable on its own for use in courses considering only some of the ten theorists covered.

Introduction to Political Science Research Methods

This textbook surveys the research methods employed in political studies. The textbook includes chapters that cover: history and development of the empirical study of politics; the scientific method; theories, hypotheses, variables, and units; conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of political concepts; elements of research design including the logic of sampling; qualitative and quantitative research methods and means of analysis; and research ethics.

International Relations

The R2P: Challenges and Opportunities in Light of the Libyan Intervention

This edited volume covers the Liberian intervention, from the revolution to peacemaking.

E-International Relations

Offers a collection of open education textbook titles on international relations under the copyright of CC BY-NC-4.0.   The following two example titles are from the collection.

The United Nations:  Friend or Foe of Self-Determination?

This book takes a practical approach to discussing what role the UN plays in cases of self-determination and, importantly, it also ventures beyond this area’s usual discussions of the inherent conflict between self-determination and sovereignty. The chapters address the pursuit of the right to self-determination through a variety of case studies, such as post-statehood in South Sudan and East Timor; Indigenous peoples; hybrid self-determination in post-intrastate conflict; the balancing of the human rights approach in Cyprus; remedial right to secede in the cases of failed states; Palestinian and Sahrawi resistance; geopolitics in Jammu and Kashmir; and the forgotten story of micro-states. Overall, this collection shows that the solutions may be found in moving the paradigm beyond the state-centrism of the system and the UN itself.

International Relations Theory

This book is designed as a foundational entry point to International Relations theory.

Public Administration

Defending a Contested Ideal: Merit and the Public Service Commission, 1908–2008

Global Political Issues

E-International Relations

Offers a collection of open education textbook titles addressing global political issues under the copyright of CC BY-NC-4.0.  The following example titles are from the collection.

Critical Epistemologies of Global Politics

Critical Epistemologies of Global Politics combines social science and cultural studies approaches to IR, showing why contemporary Border Studies needs to be trans-disciplinary if it is to avoid reproducing the epistemological and political order that has led to contemporary global crises like the rise of ISIS, global migration, or increasing contestations of the State form as such. The volume offers a critical epistemology of global politics and proposes an enriched vision of borders, both analytically and politically, that not only seeks to understand but also to reshape and expand the meanings and consequences of IR.

Reprogramming the World:  Cyberspace and the Geography of Global Order

The central claim of this book is that digital technologies are rewiring the way that society understands and thinks about global order as Cyberspace changes the content of international borders.  While international governance has never been a static process, the reprogramming being described herein is extraordinarily different from previous shifts in international governance. It is not the result of a war or of a contingent of sovereigns negotiating rules; it is a technologically driven process that redistributes power within that system and challenges the core concept of territorial sovereignty.

Critical Perspectives on Migration in the Twenty-First Century

This edited volume provides a critical overview of recent migration flows and offers answers as to why people flee, what happens during their flight and investigates the various responses to mass migratory movements. Divided in two parts, the book addresses long-running academic, policy and domestic debates, drawing on case studies of migration in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific.

Popular Culture and World Politics

This edited collection brings together cutting edge insights from a range of key thinkers working in the area of popular culture and world politics (PCWP).

Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 21st Century: A Living Document in a Changing World

This book covers concepts in the UDHR, from the conception of the UDHR to the implementation of human rights.

Contemporary Issues in Human Rights Law: Europe and Asia

This edited volume analyzes human rights law issues from a variety of perspectives.

American Government

American Government (OpenStax)

This introductory textbook covers concepts in American government, from civil liberties to domestic policy. As an OpenStax textbook it comes with student and instructor resources. Reviews are available.

Includes: Key terms, summaries, review questions, critical thinking questions

U.K. Democracy

U.K.’s Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit

The UK’s Changing Democracy presents a uniquely democratic perspective on all aspects of UK politics, at the centre in Westminster and Whitehall, and in all the devolved nations. Set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, the book’s approach returns our focus firmly to the big issues around the quality and sustainability of the UK’s liberal democracy.

Middle-Eastern Politics

Keys to Understanding the Middle East: Diverse Perspectives

This text covers introductory concepts in Middle-Eastern politics, from religious identity to stateless nations. Reviews are available.

Includes: Key concepts, glossary

Asia

COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: Insights for a post-pandemic world

This edited volume covers Covid-19 in the Southeast Asia with 3 themes: Urbanisation, digital infrastructures, economies, and the environment; Migrants, (im)mobilities, and borders; and Collective action, communities, and mutual action.

Others

Oil: International Evolution

This online course at Pennsylvania State University covers oil production.

Includes: Learning outcomes, readings, lessons, videos, assignments

Energy, Markets, Policy, and Regulation

This online course at Pennsylvania State University provides a broad introduction to global markets for crude oil and refined petroleum products, natural gas, and electric power. A major goal of the course is to help students understand how market design, market institutions, and regulatory structures affect firm-level decision-making in the energy industries and ultimately, how these decisions affect the functioning of energy markets and the prospects for alternative technologies.

Includes: Lessons, assignments, videos, summaries

Migration and the Ukraine Crisis: A Two-Country Perspective

The aim of this collection is to shed light on the forgotten migrant crisis at the EU’s doorstep and make sense of the various migration processes in and out of Ukraine and Russia. The book is divided into two sections. The first section deals with migration processes that have taken place within Ukraine or have involved Ukrainian citizens’ migration out of the country, excluding Russia. The second section discusses Russia’s response to the inflow of migrants from Ukraine, its changing policies and their effect on migrants, as well as other processes related to the phenomenon over the course of the Ukraine crisis.

Human Security in World Affairs

This ftextbook of human security is intended as an introductory text from senior undergraduate level up and includes chapters by 24 authors, from BC, Canada, and around the globe, that encompass the full spectrum of disciplines contributing to the human security field. It is based on the four pillar model of socio-political security, economic security, environmental security and health security. The chapters include learning outcomes, extension activities, and suggested readings; a comprehensive glossary lists key terms used throughout the book.

The North American Arctic

The North American Arctic addresses the emergence of a new security relationship within the North American North. It focuses on current and emerging security issues that confront the North American Arctic and that shape relationships between and with neighbouring states (Alaska in the US; Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada; Greenland and Russia).